Changing Geoeconomics in the Age of Trump: An Insider View from Japan

How is Japan navigating the complex interplay between challenging domestic conditions, global economic frictions, and the apparent unraveling of the rules-based international order? This event will feature a conversation with Hideki Makihara, who served as a member of the Japanese House of Representatives for sixteen years and occupied various senior government, parliamentary, and party roles, including most recently as Minister of Justice. Mr. Makihara will offer a first-hand perspective on major developments in Japanese policy, such as the legacy of Abenomics and the future course of economic planning under the Ishiba government, notably efforts to promote economic security and new technologies. He will also discuss how Japan is responding to intensifying challenges such as the assertiveness of China, geoeconomic competition, and the return of Donald Trump to the White House.

 

Hideki Makihara (born June 4, 1971, in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo) is a Japanese politician and legal expert, and a founder of Dream Platform Co who served as the Minister of Justice in the Ishiba First administration in 2024.

 

Makihara earned his LLB from the University of Tokyo Faculty of Law and later pursued an LLM at Georgetown University Law Center. He is also a licensed attorney in New York. His career began in 2003 at the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI), working in the Multilateral Trade System Department of the Trade Policy Bureau.

 

In 2005, Makihara entered politics, winning a seat in the House of Representatives as the representative for Saitama Prefecture’s 5th district. Over the years, he has held numerous key positions within the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Japanese government. His appointments include Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Environment (2013), Deputy Secretary-General of the LDP (2014), and Director of the LDP Youth Division (2015). He has also been Vice-Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare (2017), Chair of the House of Representatives Committee on Cabinet (2018), and Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (2019).

Beyond politics, in 2024, he founded and became CEO of Dream Platform. His leadership continues to influence Japan’s legal, economic, and environmental policies, reflecting his diverse expertise in governance, law, and business.

 

This event is organized by the Centre for the Study of Global Japan, University of Toronto.